After you’ve brought home the boxed set of books, activities, games and toys for your kids, what do you do now? —Use it as a jumping off point.
When Parents magazine editor-in-chief Sally Lee bought a set of outdoor games for her family last summer, she ignored the paperwork in the box. “I didn’t read the instructions,” she says. Instead, Lee’s family used the equipment to invent their own games.
—Select kits where choice is built in.
“The Super Hero Starter Kit” ($14.95) helps kids create their own super hero outfit with a selection of paper masks and wristbands, plus assorted stickers and a shiny red cape. It’s more structured than simply allowing your daughter wrap a dish towel around her shoulders and save the world, but it does encourage kids to put their own stamp on hero-dom, rather than only following the scripted hero stories they see on TV.
— Think, you guessed it, outside of the box.
Art kits like “Zoo Buddies You Can Draw: The Amazing Step-By-Step Art Card Studio” ($9.95) can be a great way to teach drawing to small kids. But once your little Picasso has sketched a few animals, try putting the kit away and allowing the child to color or embellish the animals in whatever way they wish.
—Don’t force a tradition.
Family traditions and rituals are often a centerpiece of childhood. But in our culture of immediacy, we can opt to jump-start the process; some boxed sets focus on bedtime or holiday rituals, including keepsake objects as well as activities.
Trying to closely regulate the details of something like a bedtime may not work, says child development researcher Wendy S.
Grolnick. “What’s a comfort object is really created by the child,” she says. “There’s nothing wrong with trying to bring something in. But don’t be surprised if they pick a scrap of blanket instead.” —Limit the crowd of scripted characters.
If you’re selecting a prepackaged box of dress-up clothes, consider skipping the ones filled with outfits worn by well-known characters. Choosing a box of generic outfits leaves more room for your child to imagine who they’re pretending to be and what that person’s life might be like.
With any boxed set, says Grolnick, “if you’re going to use it, keep the creativity in there. … The fun part is the coming up with the idea and the creativity and the fact that there’s no right way to do it.”
